The sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald - November 10, 1975

The SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior 20 years ago. Gordon Lightfoot's
song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" (1976, Moose Music, Ltd.) is a tribute
to this ship wreck and the men who lost their lives. Some of the lyrics of the
song are given below along with descriptions of related events.

"..The lake it is said never gives up her dead

when the skies of November turn gloomy

With a load of iron ore 26,000 tons more

than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty...."

On November 10, 1975 the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake
Superior. All 29 crew members died. At the time, it was the
worst shipping disaster on the Great Lakes in 11 years. Other shipping disasters
on the Great Lakes, in which weather played a role include:

Nov. 11, 1913: eighteen ships were lost killing 254 people.

Nov. 11-13, 1940: 57 men died when three freighters sank in
Lake Michigan.

Nov. 18 1958: 33 men died on Lake Michigan with the sinking
of the Carl D. Bradley.

The Fitzgerald weighted 13,632 tons and was 729 feet long.
In 1958, when it was first launched, it was the largest carrier
on the Great Lakes, and remained so until 1971. The Fitzgerald was labeled
"The Pride of the American Flag". In 1964 it became
the first ship on the Great Lakes to carry more than a million
tons of ore through the Soo Locks. On November 9, 1975 she departed from
Superior, WI with approximately 26,000 tons of ore bound for Detroit
MI. Shortly after leaving, the Fitzgerald made contact
with the Arthur M. Anderson bound, on a similar route, for
Gary IN.

On November 8 a storm was brewing in the plains and proceeded
northward towards the Great Lakes. It appeared to be a "typical
November storm".

"...and late that night when the ship' bell rang

could it be the north wind they'd bin feelin'."

On November 9 at 7 p.m. the National Weather Service (NWS) issued
a gale warning for Lake Superior. In a gale, the wind speeds range
from 34-40 knots. The NWS predicted east to northeasterly winds
during the night, shifting to NW to N by the afternoon of November
10. At approximately 10:40 p.m. the NWS revised its forecast
for eastern Lake Superior to easterly winds becoming southeasterly
the morning of the 10th. At about 2:00 am November 10 the NWS
upgraded the gale warning to a storm warning (winds 48-55 knots)
with a prediction of "northeast winds 35 to 50 knots becoming
northwesterly 28 to 38 knots on Monday, waves 8 to 15 feet".
Around 2 a.m. the Captains of the Anderson and Fitzgerald
discussed the threatening weather and decided to change their
route. This safer route would take them northward, toward the
coast of Canada. The northern route would protect them from the
waves that the storm generated.

Winds generate waves; the size of the wave depends on:

The wind speed: The stronger the winds, the larger the force and
thus the bigger the wave. The wind must also be steady - a constant
wind speed.

The duration of the winds: The longer the wind blows over the
open water, the larger the waves..

The fetch: This is the distance of open water over which the wind
blows. The larger the fetch the larger the waves.

At 3 am the winds were reported as coming from the northeast at
42 knots. The Fitzgerald and Anderson proceeded
together, the Fitzgerald ahead of the Anderson.
They had radio contact and the Anderson's radar located
the position of the Fitzgerald.

At 7 am. the storm passed over Marquette MI and started across
Lake Superior.

"The wind in the wires made a tattle tale sound

and a wave broke over the railing...."

On the afternoon of November 10 a wind shift was evident. At
2:45 p.m. the winds had backed to NW and were 42 knots. Steady
winds at 43 knots and waves of up to 12 and 16 feet were reported
by the Anderson. At around this time the Fitzgerald
contacted the Anderson and reported "a fence rail
down, two vents lost or damaged and a list". A list is when
a ship leans to one side. Also around this time, the storm's
fury had closed the Sault Ste. Marie locks.

A shift of winds to the NW is very important, as this increased
the fetch, allowing large waves to build. The Fitzgerald
and Anderson were no longer protected by land.

Late on the afternoon of the 10th, the captain of the Fitzgerald made
radio contact with another ship, the Avafor, and reported
that they "had a bad list, had lost both radars, and was
taking heavy seas over the deck in one of the worst seas he had
ever been in." Captain McSorely was a seasoned sailor of
the Great Lakes with 44 years of experience.

"...At seven p.m. a main hatchway caved in

he said 'fellas it's bin good to know ya'

The captain wired in he had water comin' in

and the good ship and crew was in peril

and later that night when 'is lights went out of sight

came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

At 7 p.m. the Anderson made radio contact with the Fitzgerald
and had her on their radar. When asked how the Fitzgerald
was making out they replied "We are holding our own".
This was around 7:10 p.m.. Shortly afterwards the Fitzgerald
disappeared from the Anderson's radar screen.

This phrase of the song, while romantic, makes it sound as if
the crew knew they were doomed. In reality the sinking of the
Fitzgerald was very rapid and it is likely they did not
know the seriousness of their condition. Indeed, after the wreck
a severely damaged life boat was found, and only part of the second.
The conditions of these lifeboats suggests that no attempts were
made to leave the ship. No distress signals were ever issued.

"...They might have split up or they might have capsized

they may have broke deep and took water...."

What caused the ship to sink? There are a couple of theories cited in the "Marine Casualty Report" by the
US. Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation Report. Since there
were no survivors nor witnesses, their report is based on testimonies
and an underwater survey of the wreck. This report suggests that
the Fitzgerald was taking on water due to earlier damage
from the storm and that around 7:15 p.m. it plunged headfirst
into a large wave and sank abruptly.

Factors contributing to
the sinking:

Raising the wintertime load line.

When a ship is filled with cargo, there is a level at which the
ship rests in the water. This level is referred to as the load
line. The height load line is set as a function of season and determines
the weight of the cargo the ship can transport. Between the time of her launch
and its sinking, the SS
Edmund Fitzgerald load line was raised 3 feet 3 1/4 inches,
making her sit lower in the water. This increased the frequency
and quantity of water that could flood the deck during a rough
storm.

Leaking Hatchways

The ore was loaded through hatchways located top side. On October
31 routine damage was noted during an inspection and were scheduled
for repair after the 1975 shipping season. The hatch covers were
not sealed properly and were therefore not water tight, thus allowing
water to enter the cargo areas. Once water entered it could migrate
throughout the hold. There was no way to determine if flooding
was occurring in the cargo bay until the ore was saturated, much
like a sponge. Throughout the storm the ship was probably taking
on water in the cargo hold though the hatches. Increased water
loading, and the lower load line, made the ship sit lower in the
water, allowing more water to board the ship. Eventually the
"bow pitched down and dove into a wall of water and the vessel
was unable to recover. Within a matter of seconds, the cargo
rushed forward, the bow plowed into the bottom of the lake, and
the midship's structure disintegrated, allowing the submerged stern
section, now emptied of cargo, to roll over and override the other
structure, finally coming to rest upside-down atop the disintegrated
middle portion of the ship" (Marine Accident Report SS Edmund Fitzgerald Sinking in Lake Superior).
This sequence of events would lead
to a rapid sinking, with no time to make a distress call or attempt
life-saving operations. The conditions of the recovered lifeboats
support this in that they appear to have been torn from their
storage racks.

"Does anyone know where the love of God goes

when the waves turn the minutes to hours? "

For more information on the SS Edmund Fitzgerald see:

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald; Lyrics by Gordon Lightfoot,
Moose Music Ltd.